Bali's Top Cop Put His Job on the Line

Provincial Police Chief Says He'll Find the Bombers in 30 Days or Resign.

(11/3/2002) The Chief of the Provincial Police for Bali, Brigadier General Budi Setyawan has made a firm promise to find the party responsible for the October 12th bomb attack in Kuta within 30 days or he'll resign his job as Bali's top cop.

Joining the National Police Chief in
condemning the attack as a terrorist act, Setyawan was quoted in the Bali Post On-Line Edition as pledging that if, within one month, he has not found the responsible party he will ask his boss to appoint a replacement.

In a related development, the National Police Chief and the head of the local military command have both implored the people of Bali to entrust the handling of the case to the police authorities, urging the public not to attempt to take the matter into their own hands. These statement seemingly reflecting a genuine concern among the police that the Kuta Bomb attack could ignite clashes between various ethnic and religious groups on Bali.